COLORADO SPRINGS, CO MAY 29, 2012 – JT Taylor completed another first in off-road racing. He took the Torchmate / Tube Shark Ultra4 car south of the border and finished the four day 2012 General Tire NORRA Mexican 1000 Race. “This is the funest race on the planet, and I’ve been around the planet,” joked JT Taylor. “On a more serious note, it is an honor to be able to be welcomed by the entire NORRA staff and all the legendary drivers into their group after racing this week.”

The week started off with a very well organized NORRA Tech and Contingency where JT Taylor and co-driver Doug Nagy mingled with legends of the sport. On Day 1, of the four day staged race, they left the line in a parade to Laguna Selada. Once in open racing, the car ran well, but the steering ram that had been replaced prior to the race was now too quick. They changed the part and picked up a little penalty for the transit stage, but had a great time in the last few sections reeling people in with the King Shocks and Goodyear Tires rolling over the obstacles.

Day 2 at Race Mile 36 the front pinion nut came off and spun the front driveshaft out. Going approximately 70mph, the driveshaft swung around and hit the transmission, knocking a hole in it! After assessing the damage, this was the end of Day 2 for the Torchmate/TubeShark car and JT Taylor and co-driver for the day Ann Mudd. They waited for Dave Cole, Scott Estrada and Doug Nagy to assist with a long recovery. Once finally loaded on the trailer, they drove all night to the end of Day 2’s stage arriving in Loretto at 5:18am. Realizing that they couldn’t fix the car and run the full Day 3 of racing, they continued onto La Paz to fix the car and get ready for the final stage.

“From La Paz to the finish were some of my favorite sections,” said JT Taylor. “They were technical, twisty, rocky and we were gaining a lot of ground on the others with the rock buggy.” The 40” Goodyear Tires that were used all week were the same ones that they ran for King of the Hammers and still never had a flat or issue. “In one of the final sections, we helped recover a buggy, they were super excited to see a rock buggy, and said we were the only ones that could pull them out of that hole!” The WARN Winch worked for that recovery and the PowerTank worked all week helping others with tires or running tools.

Although not a vintage car, the car known as ‘Ol Blue has a lot of history. The OG13 King of the Hammers racer JT Taylor is always trying to extend the boundaries for this style of vehicle first with Hill Climb racing including the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and now with the NORRA Mexican 1000 in Baja, Mexico. JT Taylor #13 ran in a brand new class called the Evolution 4×4 Class. “This was my third time participating in this race and taking my car makes it even more special this year,” said JT Taylor. “The roots of Baja racing are part of this race but this effort will be the OG of desert racing.” In 2010 JT Taylor was the driver and co-driver in the #11 Elf Dirt Sports Car taking 2nd in class, and last year he co-drove for the 1982 Raceco Car with Marty Fiolka where they placed 1st in class. This year, 2012, JT Taylor took first in the Evolution 4×4 class adding yet another badge of honor to his resume.

About JT Taylor: JT Taylor is the epitome of “been there, done that”. A retired First Sergeant who returned from the Iraq conflict with a Bronze Star, Taylor uses the skills that he honed as a soldier to manage multiple racing teams needs. His strategic and mechanical capabilities have served him Crew Chief positions with Brad Lovell, Speed Technologies, Shannon Campbell, Dirt Sports and Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series SuperLite #16 race teams. He was the Crew Chief for Speed Technologies 2008 Class 1 Baja 1000 win, 2009 Baja 500 Torchmate Racing finish, and co-drove and was crew for the 2009 Baja 1000 and the 2010 and 2011 NORRA 1000 win. It would be foolish to think that Taylor is only handy with a wrench, he is just as comfortable behind the wheel. JT Taylor is one of the original thirteen competitors of King of the Hammers who has raced every year, winning the 2011 Torchmate Stampede and placing 2nd at the Ultra4 Grand Prix. Taylor consistently held a top ten position in XORRA for five years and is the two-year reigning champion of the XORRA Germany Series. He is the 3 time Colorado Hill Climb Association Ultra4 Champion and made history as the first Ultra4 competitor to run Pikes Peak, where he won the Exhibition class in 2010 and was 2nd in the Pikes Peak Open Class in 2011. JT Taylor is the person you want on your team.Marketing Partners: Torchmate, Tube Shark, Goodyear, Raceline Wheels,Warn Winches, Power Tank, 4 Wheel Parts, King Shocks, CTM Axles, Howe Power Steering, JE Reel Driveshafts, Winchline.com, Shirt Force,